Ecuador

Planet Aid has supported Humana Pueblo a Pueblo, Ecuador (HPP-Ecuador) in its mission to carry out sustainable educational, social assistance, preservation, and conservation development projects since HPP-Ecuador was first incorporated in 2007. Shortly thereafter, the first Child Aid program was launched in El Triunfo, Guayas and only a year later, a second Child Aid program began operating in the neighboring canton of Milagro. Child Aid is an adaptable model that builds capacity based on the needs of each community. Ecuador also hosts the first Farmers' Club in the Americas.

Child Aid

Today, Child Aid implements a project in Loja that is benefitting over 2,200 families. Child Aid Loja has focused on improving food security by establishing gardens, teaching people to grow their own food, and helping farmers generate income by selling their produce and animal products.

Past Programs

Farmers' Clubs

Ecuador's first Farmers' Club was established in the Chimborazo province in 2013. The project works with 300 farmers and their families who belong to the parish of Sicalpa, located 3,000 meters above sea level in the Andes Mountains. The families are divided evenly into two clubs, and then each club is divided into five smaller groups that meet every two weeks.

The clubs participate in a wide variety of activities. Farmers switch off visiting each other's plots where they can present their crops, discuss the results, and expound upon the challenges of cultivating the plot. They are also trained in organic compost production, food preservation and storage, animal husbandry, and other agricultural techniques. Community discussions are held to research and discuss crop varieties that will maximize earning potential. A water supply engineer has also been contracted to improve irrigation systems.

Some parts of the project, like the community savings bank, go beyond direct agricultural training. The bank, which was organized primarily by the women in the families, raises money for loans through member fees, lotteries, bingos, and other ventures. Loan applications are considered by the bank’s president, three board members, two auditors, and eight to 25 members, all who meet on a weekly basis.